Chocolate Chip Homemade Cashew Butter Cookies Recipe (Vegan, Paleo, Flourless, Oil-Free) (2024)

FAQs

What can you substitute for butter when making chocolate chip cookies? ›

Animal ingredients in cookies

Butter and eggs are the most common animal products found in cookies. In addition to butter, dairy can also make its way into store-bought cookies in the form of whey. While not as common, there are a number of boxed cookies that use honey for added sweetness.

The job of butter in baking (besides being delicious) is to give richness, tenderness and structure to cookies, cakes, pies and pastries. We alter the way butter works in a recipe by changing its temperature and choosing when to combine it with the other ingredients.

Due to its liquid nature, using oil in cookies typically results in a denser texture. Also, because oil is 100% fat, it doesn't react with flour the way butter does (butter contains water). Because of that, your cookies won't be as fluffy. If you're a fan of flat cookies, then using oil is an excellent option.

It couldn't be easier to substitute butter for oil using a 1:1 ratio. This should work with olive, canola, vegetable, and coconut oils. Simply melt and cool the butter to room temperature, then continue with your recipe. (If the recipe calls for ½ cup oil, use ½ cup melted and cooled butter.)

But whilst we'd love to answer this with a resounding yes, the answer is more of a maybe. Depending on the recipe, and more specifically how much refined sugars they contain vegan cookies probably aren't the healthiest option when it comes to a sweet treat.

Even if the raw cookie dough doesn't contain egg, it might still come with risks. Eating raw eggs (such as in cookie dough batter) can cause food poisoning by Salmonella. In this video, learn the potential risks of eating homemade cookie dough, and why even eggless or vegan cookie dough poses a health risk.

The main differences between almond butter and cashew butter are that cashew butter has more protein and less calories, whereas almond butter has more calcium and less saturated fat. Our verdict: give them both a go and see which you like best – or just enjoy both.

It is a great choice for those who like what peanut butter offers but are looking for a slightly healthier version. Cashew butter is lower in calories and sugar. The downside is that it doesn't contain quite as many good nutrients. Because of this, it is a nice option for those looking to lose weight and cut out sugar.

What are the pros and cons of cashew butter? ›

The Pros: Cashew butter is high in copper and magnesium, good for heart and bone health. A raw cashew butter with no added sugar is a good thickener for fruit smoothies. The Cons: Lower in healthy fats and protein than peanut and almond butter. Unlike a lot of other nuts, cashews don't contain omega-3 fatty acids.

Cookies made with melted butter often deflate and become denser when they cool, resulting in a perfectly cooked fudgy center — a similar textural result to brownies that get rapped (aka banged against an oven rack mid-bake to deflate them) or Sarah Kieffer's iconic pan-banging cookies that turn out pleasantly compact.

Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.

Brown sugar, meanwhile, is dense and compacts easily, creating fewer air pockets during creaming—that means that there's less opportunity to entrap gas, creating cookies that rise less and spread more. With less moisture escaping via steam, they also stay moist and chewy.

Butter is an emulsifier and it makes cookies tender. It also adds in the crispy-around-the-edges element. Adding too much butter can cause the cookies to be flat and greasy. Adding too little butter can cause the cookies to be tough and crumbly.

You can enjoy food in plenty of ways without the need for butter. If you don't want to eat butter, substitute it with coconut oil, olive oil, or ghee. Butter is a popular spread and baking ingredient that some people nonetheless avoid for various reasons.

It's worth noting that you can also consider evaporated milk as a whole milk substitute and explore a suitable substitute for evaporated milk in your recipes. To substitute butter in cookies with homemade or store-bought buttermilk, make sure you cut the amount the recipe calls for into two.

Applesauce can be used as a direct replacement for oil or melted butter in baking, meaning in a 1:1 ratio.